U.S. FDA proposes 1-1/2 year delay to nutrition label changes

The agency proposed giving companies with more than $10 million in annual sales until January of 2020 to comply with the new nutrition label requirements for packaged foods, while smaller companies would have until 2021. The new rules, which would make calorie counts more prominent on labels and require brands to disclose the amount of added sugar in their products, were finalized in May 2016. They were scheduled to go into effect for large and small companies in July of 2018 and 2019, respectively. The public will have 30 days to comment on the proposed delay, beginning Monday. Read more at Reuters…

Amazon sells $1.6 million in Whole Foods’ store-brand products in first month

According to e-commerce data analytics firm One Click Retail, Amazon sold $500,000 worth of 365 Everyday Value products in their first week of availability on the site, and $1.6 million in the first month. About one-fifth of that was snacks and candy. Read more at Fox Business…

Campbell Soup says Pacific Foods lawsuit puts deal at risk

A lawsuit brought against Pacific Foods by a former shareholder stands in the way of the closing of the company’s $700 million acquisition by Campbell Food Co. In a press release, Campbell said that Pacific Foods has 60 days to resolve the issues in order for the transaction to be completed. After that, Campbell could extend that period or walk away from the deal. Read more at MarketWatch…

USDA closes investigation into a massive organic farm in Colorado—but what did it check?

Earlier this year, a Washington Post story blasted Aurora Organic Dairy, saying that on multiple visits to the farm, most of the cows were not grazing as required by USDA organic standards, and that inspectors violated USDA inspection policy. But the USDA has closed its investigation into Aurora Dairy, saying that its livestock and pasture management practices do meet USDA organic standards—although the extent of its investigation are not known. Read more at Denver Post…

Co-op opens with hyper-local products

Co-ops are on a roll, and there’s another one that’s just joined the ranks. Morrisville Food Co-op in Morrisville, Vermont, opened earlier this month and has already sold out of local eggs and fresh fish. After its first week, the co-op had more than 800 members. Read more at News & Citizen…